Sectional constitutive model for the thin-walled steel H-section beam-column element

Abstract

To evaluate the seismic performance of steel frames employing thin-walled open-section members, an accurate hysteretic model that considers the unfavorable coupling effects of plastic deformation and local buckling behavior is needed. The constitutive model for a steel H-section beam-column element considering the effect of local buckling can achieve both computational accuracy and efficiency and thus have great potential for nonlinear analyses. This constitutive model is therefore chosen as the basis for the macro calculative curves. Then, a sectional hysteretic model for H-sections subjected to cyclic loading, considering the deteriorations caused by local buckling, is proposed. By employing a validated finite element analysis model created using the software ABAQUS, an extensive parametric study involving 300H-sectional beam-columns with different plate width-thickness ratios and axial force ratios is conducted to identify the parameters for the H-sectional hysteretic model. The proposed model considering the effect of inelastic local buckling is indicated to accurately predict the nonlinear cyclic response of H-sections through the entire loading process.